The Love Law

The Love Law

how many people do not know of the law to love, only God knows, but Jesus' law to love is plainly written in the gospel; "And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted Him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? And He said unto him, 'What is written in the law? How readest thou?' And he answering said, 'Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.' And He said unto him, 'Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.'" (Luke 10:25 - 28)

Even more, this is no ordinary law, but a royal law. 'Royal law?' One might say in surprise; " If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors." (James 2:8 - 9) It is royal because it was given us by our King, Jesus Christ! In this passage, it refers to someone poor. But the poor are not our only neighbors; there are also the desperate in Jesus' parable in Luke 10:29 - 37, and the weak in Gal. 5:13 - 15, and finally, it is revealed that everyone is our neighbor in Rom. 13:8 - 10. Sorry are so many people, for they cannot even love their brother, or sister, or uncle or cousin, or even parents and grandparents, let alone their neighbor, except maybe to commit adultery with them, and even in that, they break the law, both of them, concerning any spouses involved and the lack of marriage. It is easy to love someone in hopes that they may return something to you for it, but what kind of love is that, except a deception? And it is easy to love someone who gives you food, takes care of you financially, or clothes you, or houses you, and well it is, because they have indeed shown love to you. So how can one find it in themselves not to love back? But truly, it is hard to love someone who has done evil to you, or who behaves wickedly, and are these too your neighbor?

Let's first analyze love; what is it? What qualities does it have? "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things." (1 Cor. 13:1 - 7) Certainly love, or charity as it's called in this passage, has many distinct, effable, noteworthy characteristics! Love is greater than anyone who has great knowledge, who can move mountains, or who has any other notable qualities about them. If that person does not have love, then it profits them nothing, because they then are in sin and violate the royal law. Love suffers long and is kind. Do you suppose that means we really love our spouse because we've been married all these years and have put up with all their indiscretions for all this time? Well, you may be smiling at this, but it's certainly on the right track! For as long as we know anyone, even someone who is a stranger at first, we are to treat them the same way we would ourselves. Do we treat our spouse less as well as we treat ourselves? We tend after their every need, if we can help it! It is mindboggling to imagine what the world would be like if everyone treated their neighbor as themselves. World hunger - GONE! War - NONE! Poverty - NONEXISTENT! How could poverty exist in an environemnt where everyone loves their neighbor to the point of clothing, feeding and housing one another? Unfortunately, too many people puff themselves up, and then they are not fostering love, but rather pride, and then wars result.

Love overcomes evil; "Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, 'Vengeance is mine; I will repay', saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good." (Rom. 12:19 - 21) If you feed or give drink to an enemy, is this not love? So Paul is teaching here that love overcomes evil, and if not, the Lord will have His vengeance on His terms. But it is a hard heart that can repay good with evil. Oh, the many good qualities of love! It is not jealous, nor envious, and it is ever-forgiving, ever seeking to restore amicable relationships. So the answer to that question I posed in the second paragraph is yes, even the evil and wicked are our neighbors. Let's look at one more selection; "Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? Do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? Do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." (Matt. 5:43 - 48) As one understands the evil and wicked to typically be our enemies if we should interact with them, So Jesus says we are to love our enemies, even pray for them; for in praying we demonstrate love for them. And when we pray for them in private, as the Lord Jesus directed, then while our enemies do not see or know of our love for them on that plane, our Father hears our prayers and indeed does know when we demonstrate this form of love for our enemies.

You know, one of the fruits of the Spirit is love; " But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another." (Gal. 5:22 - 26) Note the quality "longsuffering" is also of the Spirit, just as love is. Also note that the new you who loves is not carnal in their love, but spiritual. 9 fruits of the Spirit, and the first and foremost is love.

Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love." (1 John 4:7 - 8) "And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him." (1 John 4:16) See that? John said it TWICE! God is love! It is His most encompassing quality! Anyone who hates a select group of people doesn't know God; the royal command from our Lord was to love, and if anyone go around hating this person and that one, then how is this a demonstration of being born again? " Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world." (1 John 4:1) "We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error." (1 John 4:6) There will be some who say they know God, but under observation they will be found out. Whether they be false prophets or false believers, long observation will tell. Also, if we find a brother or sister in error saying or doing what would be hateful of another, and they not heed us when we try to reason with them, it would be as a sign that perhaps they are following the spirit of error. "If a man say, 'I love God', and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from Him, That he who loveth God love his brother also." (1 John 4:20 - 21)

God's greatest demonstration of love toward us is the most famous verse in the bible; "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved." (John 3:16 - 17) All the world; every bit of mankind that God created He loves. What a travesty that so many people refuse to love Him back; refuse to believe in Him. One man I witnessed to of God actually demanded that I stop, because, in his words, talking about God was like "kiddie porn". If that soul has not identified himself as truly lost, I don't know how anyone could think maybe he might not be. Another woman I was witnessing to told me that if God judged her for using her mind in not believing the bible, then shame on Him, or her, or it! How profoundly does a person have to put it that they don't know God? She didn't even speak with any fear of Him! Yet, Jesus went to the cross, that even people like these two, perhaps at a later date, might have their eyes opened by the Spirit, believe in the love of God demonstrated on Calvary, and be saved.

Our love for our brothers and sisters should be particularly and consistently present in church; for we are in God's house! "Rebuke not an elder, but intreat him as a father; and the younger men as brethren; the elder women as mothers; the younger as sisters, with all purity." (1 Tim. 5:1 - 2) If we do have trouble between one of us and our brother or sister, loving church discipline is lined out in the gospel as well; "Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican." (Matt. 18:15 - 17)

Now here's a facet of the law of love anyone might have great difficulty with, because forgiveness is also a demonstration of love, and we are expected to forgive consistently, forever, and without malice; " Then came Peter to Him, and said, 'Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Till seven times?' Jesus saith unto him, 'I say not unto thee, "Until seven times": but, "Until seventy times seven..." "...So likewise shall My heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses." (Matt. 18:21 - 22, 35) Verses 23 - 34 were Jesus' story of a servant who was forgiven, but failed to forgive a fellowservant. The point is, we are expected to forgive a brother or sister for the same trespass against us, for as many times as they should ask, and even if they don't ask, for Christ did not stipulate that they had to ask. Let me give you a perfect example of how far this is to extend, and note in this passage that they had no intention of asking forgiveness! "Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, and cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul. And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, 'Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.' And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, 'Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.' And when he had said this, he fell asleep." (Acts 7:57 - 60) How many people do you know that you believe would proclaim forgiveness in this manner as people were killing them? Stephen followed Christ's own example: "And the men that held Jesus mocked Him, and smote Him. And when they had blindfolded Him, they struck Him on the face, and asked Him, saying, 'Prophesy, who is it that smote Thee?' And many other things blasphemously spake they against Him...And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left. Then said Jesus, 'Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.' And they parted His raiment, and cast lots." (Luke 22:63 - 65, 23:33 - 34)

So let us try to be like Christ, and like Stephen; there will be plenty of tests through our lifetime. Maybe not to the death, as in these two examples, but let us pass the test for as many times as we are tested, and if we fail; try again! As it is written, "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?" (2 Cor. 13:5) If we fail and sin against this commandment, we know what to do; pray, confess, realize that He is faithful to forgive, and try to pass the test next opportunity!